


Reflections of the Memories of Who We Once Were

by Ophelia_Belle



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Grief/Mourning, Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal Spoilers, Post-Patch 5.3: Reflections in Crystal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26392540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ophelia_Belle/pseuds/Ophelia_Belle
Summary: This is a rework of my previous work entitled Pieces. After subsequent patches I did not like how the story fit. I had originally planned on it just being a collection of short stories of what I imagined my Amaurotine WoL was like before the sundering and I decided to return the story to my original intention.
Relationships: Azem/Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch, Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	Reflections of the Memories of Who We Once Were

**Author's Note:**

> After the Tales from the Shadows published today I realized I HAD to come back and revisit this piece to post today.

Everything felt empty. It had been months since she had defeated Emet-Selch and weeks since defeating Elidibus. Now she sat alone holding the amber crystal in her hands like she was wont to do these days. She finally knew her place in this story, yet she mourned no longer having anyone left to answer her questions.

Remember us…

His voice echoed in her brain. She heard it at night, waking up sweating, hearing him speak to her and then disappearing from her sight. 

At duty’s end we’ll meet again…

His voice echoed in her brain, his promise joining Emet-Selch’s final request.

She tried to remember. She wanted to remember. Just as she wished upon the crystal to call Emet-Selch to her side at her time of need, she wished on it now to help her remember.

“Why won’t you come?” she cursed loudly through tears as her heart ached within her chest, “Where are you Hades?”

She looked at the crystal clutched in her hand, wishing harder than she had ever wished for anything in her life. As her eyes took in the light refracted inside; a familiar, searing, headache overtook her as she slipped into an echo vision.

Ophelia looked around and she immediately recognized she was in Amaurot. What lay at the bottom of that sea in Norvrant was but a crude approximation of how truly magnificent this city was. While the architecture was perfectly replicated, Emet-Selch had failed to give its inhabitants the energy that she was feeling here. Tall cloaked figures were everywhere, rushing and talking. It was unlike anywhere she had ever been. Even on its busiest day, Limsa-Lominsa was never quite like this.

She could hear snippets of conversations emerging from beneath the robes. Ophelia had expected erudite conversations, given the type of conversations she had with Emet-Selch. Listening in, she was surprised to hear of all things gossip! It may have been a city of long ago, filled with remarkably intelligent beings, but it reminded her of home.

The echo moved Ophelia towards a group of three Amaurotine adolescents sitting on a park bench. She noticed two young males and a female. One male was slouched over with his mouth in a frown. Even behind the mask Ophelia recognized him immediately. Hades.

Next to Hades sat a boy considerably more animated, trying his best to impress the young lady. Ophelia noticed that they were all playing a game, a similar game to one she often played to pass time, however in a considerably different manner.

“Hades, is what you’re thinking of edible?” In his hands something appeared. Ophelia didn’t recognize it, but it appeared to be a type of fruit.

“No,” he kept his answer brief. He seemed to be distracted. The other boy passed the fruit to the young girl. She took it, and kept her face pointed towards Hades. It was obvious she was interested in the young Hades, despite his friend’s best attempts at flirtation.

Every so often, Hades’s head would turn towards her. The girl would meet his gaze from behind their masks. As soon as their gaze would meet, she would turn and look back at their friend.

The girl peeled the fruit she was given and began to nibble on the flesh inside. Ophelia watched the two boys watch her lips pressed against the fruit.

Oh yes, they are both in love.

The girl looked at Hades and waved her finger and a rainbow of colors floated in the air. “It’s not fair to pick something that we can’t see. You are thinking of souls.”

“What? You told me to think of something I can see. I at least picked something Hythlodaeus could see!”

The girl let out an angry grunt, “Not fair Hades.”

Ophelia felt the echo shift. She didn’t want to leave, but the echo forced her into another time. The city felt considerably older. The inhabitants were quieter. They seemed to speak in softer whispers instead of the loud boisterous tones she saw last. It was definitely a different time for Amaurot.

She saw the same 3. This time Hades and Hythlodaeus were sitting under a tree in a quieter part of town. Hades was holding his mask in his hands. Hythlodaeus seemed to be teasing Hades over something. Hades's face was contorted in annoyance.

Ophelia walked closer to hear their conversation.

“Hades, it’s been 500 years. If you don’t ask her I will.” Hythlodaeus was speaking about the girl. Across the courtyard the same girl was sitting under a nearby tree, reading a book. The tree was large, covered in large clusters of violet blossoms.  
Despite the uniformity of Amaurot’s residents, Ophelia noticed it was easy to tell these individuals apart. The girl had a soft energy that exudes kindness. It was easy to see why Hades fancied her. She kind of reminded Ophelia of herself.

Ophelia adjusted to see Hades better. It was her first time laying her eyes on the real Hades. His face was crumpled up in a familiar brooding fashion that she knew from Emet-Selch. His eyes were the same piercing light gold as Emet-Selch’s, however, his hair was a strikingly white hue that hung down to his chin in soft waves. It was easy to see why the young girl liked him, he was absolutely breathtaking.

While Hades looked annoyed at Hythlodaeus, she noticed that a vague suggestion of a smile was attempting to break through his scowl. Hades seemed tired of Hythlodaeus’s pressure and walked over in exasperation to the woman. It was difficult to place their ages in relative development to her own, but they appeared as young adults.

Ophelia saw the girl sit up straight and close her book upon seeing Hades approach. She tucked the book into the bell of her sleeve so that he would not see it. “Hades hello!” She reached under her hood and brushed a lock of silvery blue hair behind her ear. Hair not unlike Ophelia’s in color. She recognized that flirtatious gesture anywhere, she had used that in a fair number of taverns.

Hades sat next to her, mask still in his hands, and reached into her sleeve to pull out her book. “What are we reading today?”

The girl looked panicked, “Hades, put your mask on, it’s not proper,” grabbing for her novel.

“Alexandra,” he ignored her request, still holding the white mask in one hand and her book in the other. He looked at the front of the book to read the title, “The Lily’s Blossom, that’s not a title on botany that I’m familiar with.” Hades opened up the book to a random page and began reading to himself.

Ophelia watched Alexandra’s futile attempts to get her book back, however each time she reached, Hades would do a half turn. After reading a few paragraphs he passed the book back to her, “Is that a romance novel? Andra, are you reading fiction?”

Her face turned red below her mask. She raised the book to cover the only part of her that Hades could see, “It’s very well written.”

Hades reached out to lower the book, so that he might see the lower half of Alexandra’s face, “What are you doing tonight?”

“Going on a date with you of course,” she giggled. Ophelia watched in amusement as Hades’s jaw dropped and his head jerked around to face Hythlodaeus.

Hythlodaeus gave Hades an approving gesture and Hades rolled his eyes looking back at Alexandra, “He asked you on a date on my behalf?”

She giggled, “No idea what took you so long.”

The echo changed again quickly. The abrupt change punched Ophelia in the stomach. She had to take a minute to catch her breath, she had never had a vision jerk her through time like this one.

Hades held the red mask Ophelia knew well in his hands, laying back in the grass, in the same courtyard. Hythlodaeus congratulated him on being named to the convocation.

The echo rapidly jerked once again. Ophelia was no longer in the courtyard. The air felt stagnant and she noticed that they were now inside. A group of 14 sat in a circle, among them wearing the familiar red masks were Ascians she knew. She recognized Emet-Selch, Lahabrea, and Elidibus. Some of the other masks looked familiar, however there was one she did not recognize, a black one, on a slightly smaller figure sitting next to Hades. Ophelia watched her hand explore through the many layers of their robes to find his hand and stealthily maintain a touch.

Once again everything changed to what she knew to be the final days of Amaurot. While she had witnessed this back on the First, seeing it through her echo overwhelmed her with a crushing sadness. She wasn’t seeing a recreation. She was watching the end of an eternal civilization.

“Azem wait!” Hades yelled at her from inside an apartment.

“Do not use my title Hades,” she said through tears, “I am no longer Azem. I am no longer a member of the convocation, do you understand?”

“Please Andra, please return. I’m sure they will give you your place back, especially when you acted in a way so in line with your office,” Hades crossed the room to grab her hand, “I’ve...We’ve already lost so much, I can’t bear to lose you.”

“How am I supposed to return when the Convocation sits high and mighty and whole and the people of our world have been sacrificed. Why did it have to be only Elidibus to sacrifice himself? Why not Pashtarot or Igeyorhm as well?” she sobbed, collapsing on the floor, “I can’t support this. We survived, but at what cost? Our lands are blighted. The people that I have come to know so well are gone.”

“What will you do?” Hades asked, “The Convocation is looking at another sacrifice to bring those people back.”

Alexandra back at him in anger, “ANOTHER sacrifice? As if one was not enough.”

“Andra, you are much too emotional,” Hades cautioned, “You know how we make decisions.”

She turned and grasped a cushion and tossed it at Hades’s head as he dodged at this last moment.

“Too emotional? You’re too callous. Let us love and embrace what we have now instead of mourning what we have lost,” she screamed back.

“What, are you going to join them?” he asked, “Those traitors who do not appreciate what we’ve done to save our star?”

As Alexandra shook her head, Ophelia felt herself pulled back into the present, having witnessed a glimpse into her past.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoy reading and/or writing fanfics you should check out this amazing fanfiction discord I'm a part of!
> 
> [Emet-Selch's Wholesomely Debauched and Enabling Bookclub](https://discord.gg/vff9YsH)


End file.
